SPEECH ACT ANALYSIS IN FROZEN MOVIE : A SEMANTIC STUDY ON PERLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN CHARACTER DIALOGUES

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the use of perlocutionary acts in the dialogues of the animated movie Frozen by analyzing how certain utterances affect the listener’s emotions, thoughts, or actions. The phenomenon explored focuses on the influence of language in shaping character relationships and driving the plot. Using a qualitative descriptive design, this research collected data from character dialogues in Frozen, with special attention to the interactions among the main characters such as Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Hans and Olaf. The dialogues were transcribed and analyzed semantically to identify utterances that contain perlocutionary force—specifically how speech leads to psychological or behavioral responses. The findings reveal a variety of perlocutionary acts, including persuading, warning, calming, encouraging, and frightening. These acts often caused meaningful reactions in the recipient characters, which in turn influenced the direction of the storyline. For instance, Anna’s reassuring words to Elsa serve not only as emotional support but also motivate Elsa to reconsider her choices, demonstrating a powerful perlocutionary effect. In conclusion, the study highlights that perlocutionary acts are not merely linguistic expressions, but essential tools for developing emotional dynamics and character transformation in a narrative. Through semantic analysis, this research emphasizes the importance of understanding how language functions beyond literal meaning, especially in fictional media like films. The results are expected to contribute to future linguistic studies, particularly in analyzing speech acts in popular culture and their impact on audience perception.